So what do we think of the book so far? Personally, I find it to be very engaging, as Gladwell's very personal writing style helps keep me reading. His use of rhetorical questions, accessible non-scientific terms, and real anecdotes help to keep the relatively dull subject matter (statistics about groups of people and individuals) lively and entertaining.
On the other hand, I do find some fault with the points he is trying to make. I don't disagree with them; rather, his points are very obvious (it takes many hours of practice to succeed, those born in lucky circumstances will do better in life). As stated, I love his writing style, but I wish he would use those statistics to write things that will blow my mind instead of writing everyday truths.
But, that is only my own opinion. Any thoughts?
I started off reading the introduction, and I found that it helps with understanding the premise for Gladwell's ideas. Stewart Wolf was bewildered to find that the town of Roseto had such a low percentage of people who had a heart attack, and the incredible health was not due to eating healthy, nor was it for regular exercise or the right climate. Instead, they kept their social lives as their past relatives had in Italy. Meals with all three generations were common, and they found egalitarian ethos in the community.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion that Gladwell's writing style is effective. Just from the introduction, I am interested to know how the people of Roseto could lead such healthy lives without seeming to have healthy lifestyles. Then, he continues in chapter 1 by introducing the idea that if a person works hard to become, for example, a successful hockey player or a successful musician, he/she will be more likely to be at the top of the pyramid. His use of rhetorical questions definitely pulls in the reader. I loved the end to this section: "Players are judged on their own performance, not on anyone else's, and on the basis of their ability, not on some other arbitrary fact. Or are they?" (17)
I haven't seen any aspects I don't like as much yet.
i actually really enjoy the book as well, and I love how he talks about these different "theories" (i guess you could call them that) and relates them to everyday life, and specific situations, not just generally stating these theories and expecting you to interpret them in your own way. I would say pretty good so far, I'm interested in reading more
ReplyDeleteSo far the book is very enjoyable. I enjoy is writing style. It is In depth but at the same time it Is easy to read and understand. I also like the fact that the I can apply his theories to my own like and question, "Will I be successful?" "Am I successful?" In my opinion a book is more enjoyable when you can have a more personal connection
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of the book blew me away a little. The concept of birth date versus age cut-off dates impacting someones sport performance (over time) made me drift off in and try to see if anyone I knew was a victim to the trend. I look forward to reading the rest of this book.
ReplyDelete