I'm a sophomore in high school.

And that high school, you started there in ninth grade?

No, it's my first year.

This is your first year.

Yeah.

Were you challenged in your old school?

No, not really.

Welcome to revisionist history.

Or every week we re-examine something from the past that's been forgotten or misunderstood.

I'm Malcolm Gladwell.

This episode is about a young man named Carlos, which is not his real name.

I've changed it for reasons that will become obvious.

Were you bored most of the time?

And what were you doing when you were sitting in class?

Well, I usually finished my classwork a lot earlier than some of the other kids.

And I guess I was a little bored.

Carlos is slight, a little short for his age, braces, thick head of black hair, a good looking

kid, but normal.

He wouldn't stand out if you saw him on a school bus.

It's his manner, this distinctive.

For a teenager, he's really deliberate, thoughtful, a little guarded in a way that makes him

seem much older.

...