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

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9781602525955: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Library Edition

Synopsis

This celebrated New York Times bestseller -- now poised to reach an even wider audience in paperback -- is a book that is changing the way Americans think about selling products and disseminating ideas.

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Review

"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

About the Author

Malcolm Gladwell is also the author of the #1 bestselling "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. "He was a reporter for the "Washington Post" from 1987 to 1996, working first as a science writer and then as New York City bureau chief. Since 1996, he has been a staff writer for "The New Yorker."

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Malcolm Gladwell
Published by Playaway, United States, 2007
ISBN 10: 1602525951 ISBN 13: 9781602525955
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preloaded_digital_audio_player. Condition: Good. PLAYAWAY ** DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYAWAY EDITION ** withdrawn from the library collection. A PLAYAWAY is a Compact Digital Audio Player already pre-loaded with your audio book. PLAYAWAY IS EASY TO USE! Just plug in the earphones, press the power button ON and begin to listen and enjoy. Included is a NEW BATTERY and NEW EARBUDS. Light weight with a powerful purpose. Take along on your next journey. Makes a sensitive get well gift! Enjoy the convenience and versatility of the PLAYAWAY for all your travel and leisure needs. Seller Inventory # 751403042025786

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