Book Presentation & Discussion

"Outliers. The Story of Success"

"Outlier" is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience…

One of these phenomena is success. Malcolm Gladwell tries to get to the bottom of this phenomenon in his new book. Why are some people successful while others aren’t? Extraordinary personal success is usually seen as the result of exceptional talent and achievement. But in Gladwell’s opinion, it’s not that simple. Using a series of baffling examples, the best-selling US author demonstrates how personal success often depends instead on an individual’s social background and environment, along with the more or less coincidental historical conditions under which he lives.

Malcolm Gladwell is staff writer with the The New Yorker magazine. His wide-ranging experience as a reporter in the fields of economics and science–including for the Washington Post– makes him an expert, and his joy in writing makes him a captivating storyteller. This is a combination that regularly ensures him one of the top spots on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Moderator: Christi Degen, Director of the International Relations Center at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne