i thought i had a fabulous childhood. i mean, i would sometimes get bored and my mother would say, it's important to be bored. you're giving your brain a rest. >> reporter: his jamaican-born mother is a family therapist and his english father, a math professor. gladwell says being biracial and feeling like an outsider gives him a perspective. >> we moved to england and moved to canada where we were outsiders and i moved to america where i'm kind of an outsider. i feel like i've constantly been in the situation of shaking my head and thinking, this is a strange place. >> reporter: gladwell finds america's obsession with ivy league colleges strange. you moron! he argues the schools can actually be disadvantages for ivy league schools. he went to the university of toronto and says he's better off for it. >> i have a massive chip on my shoulder. i went to a state school in canada. are you kidding me? i come to new york and people that went to harvard and yale are mentioning that in every second sentence.