What makes high-achievers different? This books answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

My opinion

This is a brilliant book that shows that the must successful people are product of very specific circumstances and backs this theory up with statistics.

Did you know that majority of NHL players are born in early months of year. In Canadian jurior Hockey system this gives them one year development advantage for kids who are born in late year. So these kids are picked to best training groups etc.

Bill Gates is Bill Gates because he was one of the few teenagers who happen to have access to unlimited computer time in early days of computing so he had 10 000 hours of head start for anyone else when he was starting his career.

Oh and famous 10 000 hours of practice or 10 000 repetitions makes you expert saying is also originated from this book.

For who?