The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell
Rating: 9 out of 10

Malcolm Gladwell is one of the most talented writers I have ever read. The author of The Tipping Point and Blink, Gladwell spends his days writing for The New Yorker, one of the most prestigious and well-regarded magazines in America. His first book, The Tipping Point is a National Bestseller that has been published in eleven countries.

Classified as a non-fiction book about social psychology, The Tipping Point examines just what makes things become social epidemics. When he first uses the word “epidemic” it is pretty jarring, because your mind immediately assumes that he is talking about things that are negative, but Gladwell covers both negative and positive social epidemics in his search to figure out what makes things “tip”.

I had heard a lot about this book and I bought it with some Amazon.com money that I had a while back. It’s been sitting on my shelf until The Great Read of 2006 came upon me. Actually, I let my friend Kevin read it first and upon his recommendation, I anxiously read it.

Honestly, this was one of the best non-fiction books that I have ever read. I felt intelligent carrying it around and I found myself telling people about what I was reading because:

1. I wanted to feel smart…and…
2. It’s really REALLY good.

Gladwell takes subjects like the increase in syphilis in Baltimore or the rise of suicide rates among teens in Micronesa or the rapid decline of crime in New York City in the early 1990s. He talks at length about the return of Hush Puppies (not the Long John Silvers side, but the shoe), Paul Revere’s Ride, Sesame Street, and many other case examples of epidemics that represented his points.

When I talked to my friend Julie, she said to me, “I never thought I would be so fascinated reading about syphilis, but it was so interesting, I just couldn’t put it down.” (OK, so that’s paraphrasing, she may not have said those exact words.)

What makes The Tipping Point so good is Gladwell’s writing style. It is intellectual and conversational at the same time. Not only that, but he manages to take complex social and scientific theories and apply them easily into situations that make them more understandable to the average reader. And while some might suggest that what he presents seems somewhat like common sense, you cannot help but respect the amount of research that he did in preparing his arguments.

To Gladwell, The Tipping Point is determined by 3 key factors:

1. The Law of the Few, which explains that the fastest way to spread news is through 3 specific types of people: Mavens, Connectors, and Salesmen. These people are considered the most important people in pushing an epidimic over the edge.
2. The Stickiness Factor which measures how effective messaging is (this was my favorite section). And,
3. The Power of Context, an explanation as to why certain things effect some people in one way and others in another way.

Throughout the book, Gladwell’s storytelling ability is evident as he explains his points through case studies and examples of his theories in action. It is through these stories that he proves that these three things all contribute in one way or another to determining The Tipping Point of any social epidemic.

I really enjoyed this book, but moreso, I enjoyed reading Gladwell’s writing. It almost made me wish that I had a subscription to The New Yorker so I could read his column there, but I then discovered that Gladwell posts archived articles on his web site at gladwell.com. Plus, he has a blog. In fact, I recently read his back-and-forth e-mail conversation with ESPN’s Sports Guy Bill Simmons on ESPN.com’s Page 2. If you like sports (most of the major ones are covered and Gladwell shares his serious, yet funny disdain for Isaiah Thomas as a GM), it is a really good read.

Overall, like I said before, I loved this book. I think that it should be required reading for Marketing classes and that everyone should read it at their own leisure. Perhaps I am a Connector who can make this book even “stickier” to those around me. If you would like to borrow this book, let me know…I would be happy to lend it out.