Gladwell begins his research in a small town of Roseto, Pennsylvania. The town is known for having a remarkably low rate of heart disease among its residents. After eliminating possible causes such as diet, genetics and other factors, researchers state that it is the social structure of the tight-knit community that keeps them relatively healthy. The town is founded by Italian immigrants from the same place …show more content…
He finds that in each time, these successful people have a bigger opportunities than others to gain an enormous amount of experience. Bill Gates had access to a computer terminal while he was in middle school, at a time when only large schools and corporations had computers. The Beatles are hired to play almost every day in Hamburg nightclubs before they start seeing success as a recording act.
In addition to receiving an opportunity to gain experience, a successful person also benefits from his cultural legacy. Gladwell compares the legacies of Asian cultures that center on a year-round intensive farming of rice with Western cultures that center on farming less intensive crops. Asian cultures appreciate hard work more, he claims, and this is partly demonstrated in the longer school years they have for their children. He describes that a New York City school that use this Asian model of schooling into a poor neighborhood would receive good results.
Gladwell informs his readers with many examples that apply his theories about experience, opportunity, and cultural legacy to his own family, explaining the conditions that allow his grandparents and mother to succeed in