It's not a bad little book, it has quite a few salient insights that merit careful contemplation. But as often the case, the book's extrapolation of the “Jabez prayer” demands a lot of speculation and putting thoughts and words into Jabez's mind and mouth. And as the author admits, there is nothing more in the Bible to instruct us about the details and context of Jabez's life. The primary takeaway should be, not asking for what Jabez prayed, but seeking God's perfect will, whether it be abundance or sufficiency, I feel the author does a reasonably good job expressing that point. Jesus gave us the proper model of prayer, (Worship, Will, Provision, Forgiveness, Protection). Christians surrender their lives to God to use as He knows is best for His Kingdom, and for us.
Very entertaining and insightful. A treasure of trivia and historical information. Outliers offers convincing evidence that the story of success is written when preparation partners with opportunity.
Full of commonsense ideas and truths from the beginning, but my highlighter really got busy with the last two chapters on Simplicity and Timing. There's also a serendipitous addition of relevant and interesting trivia. Definitely worth a read.