Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown, 320 pp., $27.99) Americans love the idea of the self-made man—indeed, it’s an important part of our national ethos. We often tell ourselves that highly successful individuals who rise to prominence without great connections or wealth—from Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates—show just what is possible in our open society for those of modest means. Our politicians like to tout this narrative, too. George W. Bush took great pains to portray himself as a man of the people from Texas, rather than the scion of a blue-blooded New England dynasty. According...