Book: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Krishna
Well, this is an another book, in the vein of Freakanomics or The Undercover Economist (Both reviewed earlier here), that is entertaining and informative at the same time. Unlike the other two, this one talks about `social epidemics’.
The best way to describe it is, like the author, to give an example. At one point in time, the Hush Puppies were about to be decommissioned because of sluggish sales throughout its history. Then the business executives heard rumours that in the quaint shops that still sold them, there was a sudden demand for them. Very soon, the company found that suddenly the Hush Puppies had become a hot commodity and they started selling millions of pairs a year! The company was not promoting them – as they were planning to pull it from the production lines. Who made this happen? As it happens, it is
just a handful of kids who started wearing them – soon everybody started noticing it and purely by word of mouth, a revolution was started that spread like wildfire.
Tipping Point has theories about how this happens in various cases. The author’s lucid style and the examples he quotes in support of his theories are fascinating. His discussion on how the TV presenter Dan Rather’s audience voted Republican substantially more than the others is interesting.
What is even more interesting is that, like Freakanomics, he discusses the crime drop in New York City, and how suddenly it happened. However, he reaches a completely different conclusion on the causes of the drop. (Frankly, I agree with the Freakanomics author Stephen Levitt more).
It is interesting that two people, Paul Revere and “this other man” (I forgot the name) started with identical messages (“The British are invading us”) through two separate routes to Washington, stopping at several villages in the middle and warning the villagers to be ready. While the villages in Paul’s route were well prepared and surprised the British when they came, the villages in the other person’s route were completely unprepared. Why? The answer is fascinating.
The author talks also about a Salesman who can charm the socks off anyone, a man who is obsessed about obtaining as much knowledge as he/she can about a special interest, an many other such oddities.
Some of the claims made in the book stretch your credulity: for instance, the contention that some charismatic people, just by being in the room with others – without any direct communication with the rest of the people in the room – can lift the mood of the people of the entire room. Really?
The discussions on the Power of Context are interesting as well.
On the whole, I think is it a good and entertaining read.
I will give it a 7/10
— Krishna