THE THREE LESSONS OF
JOE FLOM
By: Amanda Sanchez, Michael Boyle, Dylan McConville, Gianna
Jones, and Taylor Sobel
JOE FLOM
 -”grew up in the Depression in Brooklyn’s Borough Park neighborhood”
(116)
 -”his parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe” (116)
 -his family was desperately poor (117)
 He claimed that he wanted to be a lawyer since he was six years-old
and later on grew up to be just that (117)
 All of these are the components (major points) that Gladwell elaborates
on in the chapter
LESSON ONE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING
JEWISH (121)
• Being Jewish brought down the opportunities of finding a
job. “I was…had come far.” (121-122)
• He said he felt “uncomfortable” when he went to interviews
“He says…in the library.” (123)
• Being Jewish was considered a disadvantage and they were
discriminated against- “But the true… and outlier.” ( 120)
LESSON 1: CONTINUED
• There were hostile fights in Jewish law firms but it was perfect for Flom
“What…be bought” (124-125)
• In the end, the “disadvantage” of being Jewish was an advantage
because it separated their ethnicity and Flom was able to do what he
wanted to
• “ The…Moore” (127)
• Timing was an advantage as well “If you were not …opportunity.” (123124)
• In the end, being Jewish was a happy accident for Joe Flom, and it was an
advantage rather than a drawback.
LESSON TWO: DEMOGRAPHIC LUCK
(129)
• Demographics is statistical
data relating to the
population and particular
groups within it.
• This has to do with timing
within this lesson
FATHER AND SON
• Maurice Janklow (the father in this example) was born in 1902 and spent most of his
life on the edge of poverty. (132)
• -
Went to Brooklyn Law School
• -
Closed titles for twenty-five dollars
• “When the Depression…been worse” (132-133)
• Mort Janklow was then born in the 1930s
• -
Went to New York public schools when they were at their best (138)
• -
Went to Columbia University law School
• -
Sold his cable business for tens of millions of dollars
• His timing was much better than his father’s
• More opportunities: education, resources
LESSON 2: CONTINUED
• Mort started a literary agency in the 1970s, and it is today one of the
most prestigious in the world.- (130)
• •RELATION: Chris Langan, was an investigation into how some children
with really high IQs who were born between 1903 and 1917
• “The explanation…disruption” (131-132)
• They went through panic in the streets, friends dying, the First World War,
the Depression, then the Second World War.
• ‘’They didn’t have much of a chance. That was a very tough period. My
father would have been much more successful in a different kind of
world.’’ (139)
LESSON 2: CONTINUED
• Mort gives 2 very significant quotes regarding his father and
how he was more successful than him
• “ He was… edge” (133)
• “My mother… dying”(138)
• The focus of this lesson was the contrast between timings of
birth and the differences in resources
•
LESSON THREE: THE GARMENT INDUSTRY
Louis and Regina Borgenicht came to
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF WORK
America in 1889 from Hamburg but
where Jewish immigrants. (p.139)
• Louis and Regina struggled to provide
for their family because they were
immigrants (139).
• But Louis recognized the demand of
clothing and created his own garments.
(139)
• “He was sitting on an overturned box,
eating a late lunch of the sandwiches
Regina had made for him. It was
clothes. Everywhere around him stores
were opening- suits, dresses, overalls,
shirts, skirts, blouses, trousers, all made
and ready to be worn.” (p.140)
Book
based on
the life of
Borgenicht
- as well
LESSON 3: CONTINUED
• Their family had the background to be successful
unlike the “peasants”
• “The Irish and Italian immigrants…world.” (149)
• Louis looked at his surroundings and found his success
• “On the evening…for sale” (141)
• The work ethic of the “grandfathers” passed on to the
grandchildren
• “The most important…was practiced” (151)
• On page 152- chart which explains the transfer of work
ethic
• In the end, Gladwell states that the work ethic was the
main element of the garment industry and the success
of the grandchildren born at the right time.
WHY THIS CHAPTER?
• We believe that Gladwell added this chapter
to explain that not all that “disadvantages”
(the 3 lessons) were advantages in the end.
“ Their world- their culture and generation and
family history- gave them the greatest of
opportunities” (Gladwell,158).