Blair's Blog

Well, the charms of unemployment are already undeniable. After only 2 days off work I’ve managed to finish another book! Actually, I started a week before I finished work, but I made much better progress after Friday!
What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (ISBN 978-0316075848) 2009
Malcolm Gladwell’s fourth book is a compilation of articles that he has written for The New Yorker magazine over the past dozen years. These abbreviated explorations into a wide range of topics stand in contrast to the depth of the author’s three previous books: The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. Nonetheless, the stories are fascinating explorations into territory where Gladwell’s natural curiosity asks questions about such things as the difference between choking and panicking when under pressure.  Or why there should be many popular varieties of mustard but only one truly popular ketchup.

Gladwell’s insights dig beneath the surface in three broad areas of human endeavour. First, “minor” geniuses who have changed the way we look at the work in small but significant ways; Ron Popeil (the As Seen On TV Chop-O-Matic inventor) or Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer), for example. Second, theories and predictions regarding the way we interpret the world around us; what Enron tells us about financial scandals or why it is so difficult to predict the actions of terrorists.  The final area that Gladwell examines is how we make judgments about people; are job interviews good predictive indicators of good employees or why genius is equated  with the exuberance of youth.

Each essay is thought provoking and some even challenge ideas that our culture almost assumes as fundamental facts.  I quite enjoyed this book, although sometimes I felt that the essays could have been easily expanded to dig deeper into the topic.   If you’ve never read Gladwell’s work before, this book is an excellent introduction to his style and manner of viewing the world.  For a preview of the second essay in this book about how mustard, ketchup and spaghetti sauce relate to how society views food, you might want to view Gladwell’s address to the TED conference in 2004.

No Comments »