What is the difference between choking and panicking? Why are there dozens of varieties of mustard-but only one variety of ketchup? What do football players teach us about how to hire teachers? What does hair dye tell us about the history of the 20th century?In the past decade, Malcolm Gladwell has written three books that have radically changed how we understand our world and ourselves: The Tipping Point; Blink; and Outliers. Now, in What the Dog Saw, he brings together, for the first time, the best of his writing from TheNew Yorker over the same period.
Here is the bittersweet tale of the inventor of the birth control pill, and the dazzling inventions of the pasta sauce pioneer Howard Moscowitz. Gladwell sits with Ron Popeil, the king of the American kitchen, as he sells rotisserie ovens, and divines the secrets of Cesar Millan, the "dog whisperer" who can calm savage animals with the touch of his hand. He explores intelligence tests and ethnic profiling and "hindsight bias" and why it was that everyone in Silicon Valley once tripped over themselves to hire the same college graduate.
"Good writing," Gladwell says in his preface, "does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else's head."What the Dog Saw is yet another example of the buoyant spirit and unflagging curiosity that have made Malcolm Gladwell our most brilliant investigator of the hidden extraordinary.
I just won this and am anxious to read it since I've never experienced Gladwell before. I'm sure the essays will be hit or miss for me as well.
ReplyDeleteHis books have never pulled me in....don't think this is my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about this book?? I did like Outliers. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about this one for my husband. He's read a few other books by Gladwell (maybe the same ones you have) and raves about him.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about this one for my dad. My husband enjoyed Outliers and will probably get this one for his Kindle.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a good Thanksgiving. I'm home with a cold. Thankfully, it seems to be just that and not the FLU!
Bermudaonion ~ I think that's a common occurrence, but hopefully you'll like more than you don't. :)
ReplyDeleteStaci ~ Isn't it a bummer when so many others like something, and it just doesn't appeal to us. I think that happens to me too much. lol I've been so busy with work that I haven't been blog hopping. I'm curious if you did another vlog with your son!?!
Diane ~ I prefer his others. If you want to check the articles out - they are all on his website. This is just a compilation of his favorites.
Stacybuckeye ~ I really, really enjoyed the others. Let me know if he likes it.
Les ~ Thanksgiving!? Yes, my Thanksgiving was hectic, but very enjoyable. I hope you had a beautiful day, too. It is now a few days before Christmas, and I'm just getting to these comments! I'm sorry to hear about the flu you had, but I'm thinking that's long gone. Hopefully you are healthy and happy now. :)
Yep, that flu/cold is long gone, although it hung around for over two weeks! Sure feels good to feel good. :)
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