(Photo illustration by John Kehe/Staff)
Malcolm Gladwell is an outlier
By Chris Gaylord | 11.19.08
Malcolm Gladwell’s third book, “Outliers,” hit stores yesterday – and it’s pretty darn good. The author, most famous for “The Tipping Point,” has become an expert at finding patterns in innovation, choice, opportunity, and success. He’s clearly using all four of them to his advantage.
Gladwell tackles social-science conundrums and psychological quirks in a way that’s somehow both airy with wit and anchored by research. His new book focuses on those rare individuals blessed with talent and opportunity. Which of those two do successful people need more? Can you get away with one and not the other?
The Monitor’s Books section ran its review of “Outliers” this week. (This post borrows its headline from the first sentence of that article.)
It’s “thought-provoking, entertaining,” writes the reviewer, but not “airtight. His theories raise chicken-and-egg questions about which came first, talent or opportunity, and don’t explain why some people take full advantage of opportunities while others do not.”
Despite unanswered questions, the rest of the book is clever enough, so you’ll likely overlook the cracks. Besides, debating the book with friends is half the fun of Gladwell’s work.
Another happy return this week is Radio Lab, WNYC’s light and bright science show. The brilliant series – and podcast – launched its fifth season with a hour-long episode about choice: “Why do some people seem better at making decisions than others? Should you listen to your head or your heart? We turn up the volume on the voices in our heads and try to make sense of the babble.” (They actually chat with Gladwell during the show.)
If you’re unfamiliar with Gladwell, he gave a TED talk a few years back. The online video is an excellent appetizer to his brand of brain food.
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2. Vonnie Gross | 11.20.08
There is still a dull flavor in Ragu and Prego…not enough spices…tomato paste taste overall. My favorite sauce is Classico with sausage and Barilla…most authentic cultural Italian flavored out of a jar!
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1. James Wallman | 11.20.08
Gladwell’s Tipping Point was seminal, but Blink is the Emperor’s new clothes. That second album syndrome was always going to be tricky… I’m not down on him for writing a book that essentially says “trust your instinct”, well done for selling loads of copies. But like most movie sequels, it was a second rate book. Imagine someone who wasn’t Gladwell coming to a publisher saying: “I’ve got this book. It says people should trust their instinct.” I suspect this is more of the same. It’s just that everyone now wants to fawn over this pseudo-science that says nothing.
He has a publisher who wants to milk him & his name (justly earned with Tipping Point) for all its worth & he clearly is happy to do it. But let’s not be fooled: Gladwell has become a money-making venture.
But it’s a shame when supposedly intelligent people forget the importance of questioning. But then Gladwell knows that his name & fame passed the Tipping Point years ago.