I've now read all of Gladwell's books over the course of several years. In the time since I first read Blink maybe 5+ years back, I've had countless conversations with friends who aggressively assert that Malcolm Gladwell is either the best thing since whatever topped sliced bread or a sham who re-dresses Psych 1 studies in mediocre prose (well not quite that vehement, but...).
For my part, before picking this one up, I thought Blink was my favorite -- a really cool weaving of pop psych and interesting stories -- and that the other two suffered from the full-scale book's requirement of a coherent argument, a requirement which in their case made their contents seem artificially bound. While Outliers, for example, had some interesting stuff, I felt that Gladwell's attempt to stuff all those stories into a big argument seemed artificial and forced. At the end of the day, the book seemed cheapened by his rather pointless thesis that (to simplify) hard work + luck = success.
What the Dog Saw, then -- because it is chock full of fascinating Malcolm Gladwell stories but entirely uninhibited by this annoying need to press these stories into some sort of ill-fitting form -- may be my favorite of the lot. It's just extremely thought-provoking and diverse.
His stories cover a huge range of interesting material -- the difficulties of mammogram reading, the inevitability of disaster, how hair coloring slogans mimicked and shaped changing definitions of 20th-Cent feminism, the slippery definitions of plagiarism -- in a way that lends itself to your drawing your OWN opinions about the interrelations of ideas. The book really makes you think, and I've found much of what I read here applicable to much of what I've seen while and since reading it. He really is a very thoughtful and lucid writer, and he turns this varied world of ideas into a series of comprehensible and well-laid out pieces.
Just a very interesting read in general. Two last notes, for those who haven't seen many other reviews of the book. One, the articles will be hit or miss for some people; I found some things interesting that others here appear to have been bored by, and visa versa. And then two, of course, if you've faithfully read his New Yorker pieces since 1996, then you will be disappointed to find that this book represents nothing other than a reprint of some of his best.
That said, though, I'd highly encourage buying it. It's just been a fascinating read.
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Reviews with images
Catch Malcolm Mania
I have become a major fan of Malcolm Gladwell. I have now read all of his books and scan every New Yorker to see if there's anything I've missed. Read him for fun. Read him for a learning experiencer. Read him to activate your thirst for an understanding of the world as it is today. But read him.John Klawitter, Hollywood Director, writer of award winning action/thriller novels
Top reviews from other countries
Santiago Abaitua
Insufrible y decepcionante
Reviewed in Spain on September 22, 2018