Book - Product Information
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell
Rating: 4.0/5 Stars
Rank: 23
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books
into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word
of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday
life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics.
Ideas
and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do."
Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this
concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting
twists on the subject. For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize
the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what
Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly
the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through.
But
Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston,"
he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the
British.
He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The
phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received
information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a
dozen times before reaching you. Gladwell develops these and other
concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population
size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and
entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical
methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why
it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor
Rod Steiger.
Although some readers may find the transitional passages
between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's
closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy,
even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books
on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that
"tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become
one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name.
--Ron Hogan --This text refers to the
Hardcover edition.
About the AuthorMalcolm Gladwell is a former business and science writer at the Washington
Post. He is currently a staff writer for The New Yorker.
Editorials
Sample 3 of 17
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell
![]() | | | From Library Journal | | This genial book by New Yorker contributor Gladwell considers the elements
needed to make a particular idea take hold. The "tipping point" (not a new
phrase) occurs when something that began small (e.g., a few funky kids... read full editorial |
![]() | | | Time Out New York, 3/2-9/00 | | "...brimming with new theories on the science of manipulation..."--This
text refers to the
Hardcover edition. |
![]() | | | Book Description | | "Why did crime in New York drop so suddenly in the mid-90s? How does an
unknown novelist end up a bestselling author? Why is teenage smoking out
of control, when everyone knows smoking kills? What makes TV shows like
Sesame... read full editorial |
Customer Reviews
Sample 3 of 60
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell
![]() | | | Some Good Points, But No Tips. | | (Miami, Florida USA) June 5, 2005 - 4.0/5 stars | | Gladwell is a great story teller but a not a great advisor.
If you're looking for suggestions on how to start a "buzz" about a
person, product or idea, Tipping Point is not the book for you. It falls
short on practical... read full review |
![]() | | | Some Things Do Make A Difference! | | (Knoxville, TN) June 24, 2005 - 3.0/5 stars | | In this landmark bestseller, he redefined how we understand the world
around us with all it varities and problems. It helps us to learn how to
cope in today's world in many ways.
This is about choices
we make 'without... read full review |
![]() | | | Please - Stop Him Before He Writes Another Book! | | (Phoenix, AZ.) June 25, 2005 - 1.0/5 stars | | This is the second Gladwell book I've read, and unfortunately its as bad as
the first (Blink!). His basic point is that little things can make a big
difference. Gladwell's problem, however, is that he doesn't know what... read full review |
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