Review: Blink
Title: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Page Count: 320
Published: April 3, 2007
Genre: Nonfiction
My rating: 4.5/5
In his #1 bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. In BLINK, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. How do we make decisions–good and bad–and why are some people so much better at it than others? That’s the question Malcolm Gladwell asks and answers in BLINK. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, examining case studies as diverse as speed dating, pop music, and the New Coke, Gladwell shows how the difference between good decision making and bad has nothing to do with how much information we can process quickly, but rather with the few particular details on which we focus. BLINK displays all of the brilliance that has made Malcolm Gladwell’s journalism so popular and his books such perennial bestsellers as it reveals how all of us can become better decision makers–in our homes, our offices, and in everyday life.
I read Gladwell’s latest, Outliers, not too long ago and was very impressed by the book. I assumed that I’d enjoy his first two at least somewhat, so when I saw that one of the libraries in my district had Blink in audio format I requested it right away. I’m very glad that I made that decision because I really liked this book and now I need to run out and get The Tipping Point (his first book) as well!
What’s great about Gladwell is the way he constructs an argument. He starts out very slowly, explaining a scenario to the reader, letting the reader guess what’s going to come next. Then he goes back – does an analysis of that scenario, slowly but surely drawing the reader in, and slowly but surely getting across the information that he feels is important to what he’s trying to show. And I’m not going to lie – he convinces me, every single time. The way he explains everything, he makes all these different examples fit together so neatly and he produces such a clear picture of what he’s trying to get across – it’s nearly impossible not to think he’s a complete genius.
One thing I loved about Blink is how much psychology there is embedded in this book. I was a psych major in college, so I was familiar with a lot of what Gladwell referenced. I particularly enjoyed the section about the Implicit Association Test, because I studied this phenomena in college. I even took many of the tests myself when I was learning about it. It was great when Gladwell analyzed it because I was already so familiar with how the test works and its implications.
For nonfiction fans, I highly recommend Blink. While I know that not everyone would love Gladwell’s books, he fascinates me. So much so that I’m very interested in The Tipping Point. Speaking of which, have any of you read that one? How would it compare to his other two?
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