I’ve been meaning to start reading the Malcolm Gladwell books starting with his first one – 2000’s The Tipping Point. So sum up the book in the simplest way possible, it’s basically about how really small events can have an enormous impact. He’s got quite a few different theories at work in this book: some of them seem more plausible and applicable to your everyday life than others.
In his book, Gladwell tries to figure out common themes on why some things become an “epidemic” and some things just don’t quite make it. This example isn’t specifically discussed, but it would be like trying to figure out why Cabbage Patch Kids and Tickle Me Elmo were all the rage at one point and a “My Buddy” doll just didn’t make it. He’s got many other stories in here worth reading (why did Hush Puppies become popular in the 90s, what’s the secret to Blue’s Clues success, and many more somewhat meaningless, but interest questions).
It’s a pretty light non-fiction book. As you can probably tell by my other book reviews, I’m a big reader of sports biographies. For me to step outside the sports biography realm is a bit of a reach, but a book like this is makes me think that I should do it more often.
If you don’t know who Malcolm Gladwell is or have never heard of Tipping Point, I suggest you:
a) Get out from underneath a rock…
b) Look up a picture of him on Google Images (seriously, who knew Sideshow Bob was a real person)
c) Stop by a bookstore or library and read the first chapter… if that doesn’t have you hooked, this book isn’t for you.
If you enjoyed other books of similar “ilk” (is that really a word? I use it all the time…) like Freakonomics, though, do yourself and give this a try.
