Outliers

What makes uber-successful people so successful? Why do some people rise to the top of their professions while others flounder? Gladwell's suggestion in his newest, Outliers, is that natural talent only takes someone so far while the rest is up to a combination of luck and really really hard work.
Gladwell argues that luck can include factors such as where and when you were born. In some cases, this includes the year you were born and in other cases even what month, as in the case of the Canadian Hockey players. Often the luck is a combination of factors, including children of Jewish emmigrant garment workers at the turn of the century who became successful thanks to a combination of both where they were born and when.
Hard work is also a major factor in success, and Gladwell argues that studies have even pinpointed how long one must practice before mastery. The magic number? 10,000 hours. If you could practice something that much, you'd have to be lucky enough for both access and availability.
I have heard of both of Malcolm Gladwell's other books, Tipping Point and Blink, but never picked either of them up before. This reminds me a little of Freakonomics, as an interesting and fun read. It would be interesting to know if there were exceptions to his theory, but still enjoyable.