Malcolm Gladwell is not just a talented author- he is also a journalist and a public speaker. He was born in Hampshire in the United Kingdom, but moved to Canada when he was six. Although this website tends to have a focus on novel, I find Gladwell’s books very interesting, and in my opinion his four books deserve their status as bestsellers. Gladwell tends to focus on bringing to light new viewpoints as a result of research- a good way of thinking about it is to compare him to the writers of “Freakonomics”, though his expertise is not in economics. For example his first book, “The Tipping Point” was inspired by a large crime drop that occurred in New York and includes many other examples of the curious social phenomena of a tipping point. His work is a great read for all those with a general curiosity, but those interested in business might find his books particularly valuable.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Gladwell describes his first book as “a book about change” and answers some really very fascinating social questions- for example why do greater and greater numbers of children choose to smoke even though people are at their most aware of the dangers of cigarettes? He presents social change as a kind of virus- a relevant comparison when you consider how things like an unknown book suddenly becomes a bestseller and how a Youtube video goes from being virtually unseen to having millions of views- they all pass tipping points. This book is well researched as well as very interesting and arguably more relevant now than ever as the internet now has the ability to further enhance the power of Gladwell’s “social epidemics.” As well as being interesting some of the lessons are very valuable- many advertising agencies try and create the kind of social epidemics that Gladwell describes.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

We all make snap judgements- when we meet a new person or read a newspaper article and it is this two second decision making or rapid cognition that Gladwell’s book assesses. Of course we are all told not to judge a book by its cover, but Gladwell highlights how important these judgements are and uses fantastic anecdotes to back up his opinions. Equally he highlights plenty of areas where our snap decisions make us vulnerable, leading us to poor decisions. The differences between positive and negative rapid cognition are very striking, and after reading you may realise it in your own behaviour. A fascinating book for most people interested in how we interact with each other, but anyone with an interest in psychology should definitely give this book a read.