Gladwell disappointed me

Back to Gladwell. This latest reading is also quite shocking, in that it released to us readers that all of the many privileges and avenues of success by luck can all actually be attributed to Gladwell himself. In the final chapter of the book, A Jamaican Story, Gladwell reveals that his own mother is a byproduct of certain privileges that were passed down that allowed Gladwell to become the person he is today. As she was born in the impoverished island nation, she was able to go to school in the United Kingdom where she met a wealthy man whom she married and moved to America with. From here, Gladwell was born into an affluent family that afforded him the opportunities to go to college, and eventually become a successful top-selling author.

This story in a way saddens me in that it shows that even Gladwell is a byproduct of this born-into success. While yes, he had to work very hard to get to where he is today, much of that is due in part to being born into the family that he was, and the privileges that genetic lottery allowed him. I for some reason was hoping that he too had experience a kind of 10,000 hours—a feat that meant his hard work was the cause of his success, not his birth. Alas, I was not able to be satisfied by the ending of this book, and finished reading it with a sadness hoping that I too was born into the right family.