Books by Malcolm Gladwell

The author explains the power of first impressions and also their negative aspect. The examples and research cited are very powerful in illustrating his points.

Tags: marketing psychology

How little things make a huge difference in the way things work. Lots of good examples. The book has several implications for marketing and business in general.

Tags: economics marketing sociology

In this book, Malcolm Gladwell looks at the reasons behind success. He finds that, in addition to intrinsic talent and perseverance, many other factors such as fortunate circumstances, cultural background and occasionally plain luck have a lot to do with success. Most people are vaguely aware of this, but Gladwell drives it home by presenting some compelling examples of how being born at the wrong time or in the wrong family can have a much greater influence on the lives of people than we generally give credit for.

However, the book could have done with some tighter editing and research. At times, Gladwell seems to be casting a wider net with his different stories. The coherency of the narrative has to be supplied by the reader while Gladwell keeps going in an undisciplined fashion. The biggest problem with examples is whether they are representative of the group. In the case of Jewish immigrants and Korean pilots, a pattern could be seen. But in the example of the Beatles at Hamburg, Gladwell does not take the time to research other music groups and justify his conclusions. So that weakens the message a tad.

Tags: sociology