Malcolm Gladwell

Short biography of Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian journalist, writer, and speaker. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He is the author of five books, including the bestsellers The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Outliers: The Story of Success, and David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. Gladwell’s books and articles often deal with the unexpected implications of research in the social sciences and make frequent and extended use of academic work, often that of sociologists, psychologists, and anthropologists.

Gladwell was born in England in 1963 and grew up in rural Ontario, Canada. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in history in 1984 and from the University of Pennsylvania with a master’s degree in 1986. He began his career as a journalist at The American Spectator and then worked as a business and science reporter for The Washington Post. In 1996, he joined The New Yorker staff.Gladwell’s first book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, was published in 2000. It explores the concept of the tipping point, or the moment at which a small change can lead to a large-scale change. The book was a bestseller and has been translated into more than 30 languages.Gladwell’s second book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, was published in 2005. It explores the idea of “thin-slicing,” or the ability to make snap judgments based on limited information. The book was a bestseller and has been translated into more than 25 languages.Gladwell’s third book, Outliers: The Story of Success, was published in 2008. It examines the factors that contribute to success. The book was a bestseller and has been translated into more than 25 languages.Gladwell’s fourth book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, was published in 2013. It explores the idea that what appears to be a disadvantage can often be turned into an advantage.

The book was a bestseller and has been translated into more than 25 languages.Gladwell’s fifth book, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know, was published in 2019. It explores the idea that we often misunderstand the people we don’t know. The book was a bestseller and has been translated into more than 25 languages.Gladwell has also written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The New York Times Magazine. He has been a contributor to the public radio show This American Life.Gladwell has won numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award, the American Sociological Association’s RoseMonte Cobb Lifetime Achievement Award.

General Essay Structure for this Topic

1. Why Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers” is a fascinating read
2. How “Outliers” highlights the importance of opportunity
3. Why hard work alone is not enough to achieve success
4. How context and environment can shape a person’s success
5. How culture can play a role in success
6. How family and mentors can impact a person’s success
7. How talent and intelligence can contribute to success
8. How luck can be a factor in success
9. How failures can lead to success
10. What we can learn from the stories in “Outliers”

Important information

Malcolm Gladwell CM: Malcolm Gladwell; CM

Parents: Joyce Gladwell, Graham Gladwell

Siblings: Geoffrey Gladwell