The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Boston: Little, Brown, 2000.

Reviewed by Dan McCue

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is an intriguing, readable study of social epidemiology. Through interviews, academic research, and case study, Gladwell probes into the reasons why certain products and behaviors have infected our society. I learned how Sesame Street and Blue's Clues became infectious learning tools, the secret behind the six degrees of separation (and its spinoff, the six degrees of Kevin Bacon), why 150 is a magic number, how farejumping and crime in New York City are connected, and why it's cool to smoke. It will make you want to be sticky, spread rumors, and find the connectors, mavens, and salespeople in your own social network.