But Back to the Point...

Because I have so enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History, I've found myself going back on occasion to visit one of the books he wrote earlier in his career. Gladwell himself has now done the same thing, with the publication of Revenge of the Tipping Point.

Released in 2000, The Tipping Point is the book that put Malcolm Gladwell on the map. On the occasion of the book's 25th anniversary, Gladwell decided he would look back  and create some sort of revised or updated edition. Instead, he found enough to say to create a full-fledged sequel book. Ordinarily, I wouldn't consider taking on a sequel (book, movie, whatever) without having first experienced the original. But since some of the point here seemed to be Gladwell saying "here's what I think I got wrong," I decided jumping right in with Revenge was a valid way to go.

As always, I found Gladwell's writing to be engaging, and his anecdotes entertaining. He's compulsively readable, and a very clear communicator. But also, Revenge of the Tipping Point feels like a more "scattered" book than some of his other work. (For example, Blink -- which I have also read, but apparently did not blog about.) From one chapter to the next, the topics seem to vary wildly, and I'm not convinced that the final chapter, a classic summary meant to tie everything together in one nice bow, is as effective in unifying the thesis as it should be.

I think the most likely reason for this is the very podcast that led me to Gladwell in the first place. Revisionist History is now in its twelfth(!) season, and while a few of those seasons have taken a more serialized look at a single topic, most have just been a collection of intriguing stories well-suited to the "under an hour" audio format. It's a perfectly good format... but I think it may have "infected" his style when it comes to long-form writing. (Indeed, one of the chapters of Revenge of the Tipping Point has a "companion" episode in the latest season of Revisionist History!) Gladwell remains strong at telling a tight story -- be it in a chapter or a podcast episode -- but I'd say the whole of this book isn't any greater than the sum of the parts.

But that shouldn't be construed as too great a criticism. The "parts" here are quite good. Whether looking at the most successful bank robbers in history, delving into the genetic plight of the cheetah, scrutinizing the early spread of COVID-19, or pitching his social momentum theory of "the Magic Third," Gladwell's newest book is stuffed full of the same kinds of tales that keep each new episode of his podcast as a "release day listen" for me. I give Revenge of the Tipping Point a B+.