<p>I preferred the second part of Outliers much more than the first. It’s obvious that you need the right environment and opportunities for success. You can’t build a tropical getaway in Antarctica. But the second part zeroed in on cultural and social influences, things that are part of our daily lives and not just big success stories. I found that much more interesting than “Bill Gates became successful because he was the only high school kid with access to a computer terminal.” The first part made me feel like as if no matter how hard I work, my success is based on when my mother gave birth to me or if my parents have the right jobs to teach me the right skills.</p>