This book is a bit different from Gladwell’s other books. In fact, the book is an anthology of nineteen real-life stories in which the author seeks to draw out key lessons and insights.

Part One is all about how obsessives, pioneers, and other varieties of minor genius create endurable products and ideas. This goes from Chop-a-matic to women’s hair dye, birth control pills, and how dogs are tamed. There is a chapter about Nassim Taleb and how he was able to get past our biases about applying agency to outcomes.

Part Two is about theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses. This part was a bit more intriguing to me. In the Enron story, the author shows how, unlike the Watergate scandal, Enron was not trying to hide anything. Everything was there in the 10-Qs and 10-Ks. However, it was beyond the understanding of any normal investor to comprehend the complexities of the filings. There was nobody on Wall Street who would actually read them up and break them down for the normal investor. This is a peril of too much information.

Another interesting story demonstrates how the homeless problem can be solved (and has been in certain cities) in a way that costs far less than keeping them on the street. But it is nearly impossible to do so because the solution would run counter to our considered moral and political principles.

Part Three is about personality, character, and intelligence. The author delves into data showing that the largest value-creating companies were actually started by people past their mid-40s, yet we somehow equate genius with precocity. My favorite topic was how our interviewing process never gets the information we really need to hire a candidate.

But my absolute favorite chapter is “Are smart people overrated?”. To be fair, I like it so much because it aligns with my beliefs. I have picked many a losing argument with self-styled talent experts, board members, and peer groups on this topic. So, there is that bit of bias from personal experience on my side there.

I enjoyed reading the book. I think you will too.