[Orin Kerr, January 2, 2009 at 2:59pm] Trackbacks
Kinda Cool:
Malcom Gladwell's new book, Outliers, has a section (pages 139-151) on Louis and Regina Borgenicht, eastern european Jews who came to the United States in 1889 with nothing and who became quite successful in the garment industry in the Lower East Side. Kinda cool to me, at least, as they are my great-grandparents.
David M. Nieporent (www):
Well, then I think Malcolm Gladwell owes you a beer.
1.2.2009 3:05pm
A Law Dawg:
Who doesn't?
1.2.2009 3:11pm
Triangle_Man:
I can't wait for Richard Posner's review of this one. His review of Blink was a hoot.
1.2.2009 3:20pm
Sammy Finkelman (mail):
Were you, or anyone in your family you know, a source for him? Is there anything in there you didn't know?
1.2.2009 3:22pm
PeterWimsey (mail):
"Borge nicht" means "Don't borrow" in German. Is there some sort of message there?
1.2.2009 3:27pm
bornyesterday (mail) (www):
I thought it meant a Victor Borge movie marathon night, dubbed in German.
1.2.2009 4:22pm
Obvious Joke (www):
@PeterWimsey: The answer is that they always lended instead.
1.2.2009 4:44pm
Roy Englert:
Happy New Year, Orin. The bit about the Gladwell book is indeed very cool. Congratulations to your family.
1.2.2009 5:31pm
Dave N (mail):
Ah, the source of the vast Kerr family fortune revealed at last.
1.2.2009 5:49pm
wm13:
That is kind of cool, and reminds me of a good line from Thomas Sowell. Someone commented that the Jews were very lucky to have arrived in New York City just as the garment industry was about to develop, and he responded: "Yes, and Henry Aaron was lucky to come to the plate so often just as a home run was about to be hit."
1.2.2009 6:24pm
Chris B:
Interesting, Orin. I just read this on a plane two days ago, so timely.

It also helps confirm Gladwell's thesis, since that entire chapter is about how the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of those Jewish immigrants all wound up doctors and lawyers.
1.2.2009 7:23pm
Eric Muller (www):
PeterWimsey, "borge nicht" can also mean "don't lend."

Though I'm not casting aspersions on Orin's mishpacha or anything.

That's pretty cool, Orin!

And happy new year to ya.
1.2.2009 10:51pm
pdxbob:

@wm13: "Yes, and Henry Aaron was lucky to come to the plate so often just as a home run was about to be hit." - Sowell


I just ended my relationship with this book, after reading 2/3 of it and coming to the same realization as Sowell's quote articulates. Gladwell's strength is his ability to string together anecdotes to justify a conclusion. The engineer in me is repulsed.
1.3.2009 11:49am
Sammy Finkelman (mail):
So treat the book as a collection of anecdotes, and draw your own conclusions (also using as inputs other stories you know)

It may annoyiing perhaps to have conclusions in teh book interfere with reading the anecdotes.
1.5.2009 11:55am

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