Malcolm Gladwell
Lately, I’ve been into sociology and economics (I think it started with reading Freakonomics), and a friend recommended this book to me. This book focuses on social epidemics and how “fads” become popular, such as how Hush Puppies became a popular shoe [again], and how teen smoking has continued to grow despite aggressive anti-smoking campaigns. What causes many “epidemics”, Gladwell claims, is the “tipping point”: the point where an idea, disease, or product goes from being relatively unknown to extremely popular. He sites several examples: syphillis in Baltimore, the crime drop in New York City, and school shootings. This was an interesting read and Gladwell presents his theories in an entertaining and engaging way. I enjoyed Gladwell’s writing so much, that I’m reading Blink and I’ve started reading Gladwell’s blog.