Liz Loves: Malcolm Gladwell

In May of 2010, I graduated from college and commissioned as a United States Army Officer. My Professor of Military Science gave me a book entitled, “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell. I can’t lie. It sat by my bedside for months. Reading a book was the furthest thing from my mind after graduating from college. When I finally picked up it up, I was so mad at myself for not reading it sooner. I went back and read every book Malcolm Gladwell wrote. Slowly but surely my obsession over the years grew.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants is personally my favorite of his literary work. This book single handedly changed my views on medicine, the Civil Rights Movement, and the classic biblical story of David and Goliath. Gladwell unearths truths and forces you to really look behind the ugly curtains of what individuals wouldn’t typically depict as success.   

I would highly recommend reading this book. Apparently, it left me with a lasting impression. Who really writes a book review 5 years after it’s been printed? This book taught me that nothing in life comes easy. Hard work, consistency, and a little unconventional ingenuity are required to shift and change a culture of people.

If you haven’t read any of his books or listened to his podcast Revisionist History, you are totally missing out. Malcolm Gladwell is a walking gem dropper of random knowledge and a self-proclaimed perspective shifter that will make you think and look at life differently. His books are a quick and easy read that triggers a little introspection. I always walk away feeling a little wiser, more understanding of others, and inspired to do the work that creates change.     

Check out some of my favorites by Malcolm Gladwell: David & Goliath, Outliers, Tipping Point, Blink, and What the Dog