The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell

With a subtitle that reads: How Little Thing Can Make a Big Difference, The Tipping Point is a look at social epidemics and what causes their spread.

What causes a fad to turn into a trend? Or a trend to turn into a style? Why does one great idea succeed in infiltrating and influencing our culture while another equally evocative idea fizzles? Gladwell tackles questions like these and others in this book.

One of Gladwell's keynote examples about the spread of information is Paul Revere and his famous nocturnal ride as he announced the impending British invasion. On the night of of April 18th 1775, Paul Revere set out to warn the areas north and south of Boston that the British were coming to seize a weapon's stash. Revere set the country side afire with his message, knocking on doors delivering his message with fervor that ignited the local militia to respond and meet the British soldiers, forever changing our country's history.

But what most people don't know is that at the same time that Paul Revere set out for his historical ride, another man, by the name of William Dawes, set out on the same urgent errand to warn the towns west of Boston. However, history does not well remember Dawes' name. His ride was far less successful. Why? This is one of the questions Malcolm Gladwell is out to wrestle with in this book.

Gladwell covers many other social epidemics, many of them far more current. The Tipping Point takes you through Mayor Giuliani's efforts to clean up New York and it's subway system, the teen suicide epidemic in Micronesia, the spread in popularity of Hush Puppies as a favored American shoe, the syphilis epidemic in Baltimore in the mid-90s, the growth and story of Sesame Street and later Blue's Clues, and many other examples through the book's 280 pages.

Gladwell's basic principles of social epidemics follow three rules,

1) The law of the few: there are certain people in our culture who excel as either salespeople, information gatherers/spreaders, and connectors (those who seem to know "everybody"). The law of the few suggests that all three of these types of people must be involved when a social epidemic is at hand;

2) The law of context: the idea that if one window on an abandoned building is broken out, more soon will be; but if that one window is repaired it is far less likely more breaks will occur;

3) The stickiness factor: in our world where we're inundated and overwhelmed with information, only ideas and information packaged in a way that has a stickiness about it will make it through to people.

Analyzing social epidemics with these three rules in mind sheds light on social changes and trends. Similarly, marketers employing and minding these rules tend to succeed in ways beyond their competition.

Gladwell's writing is very readable and smooth. The examples he uses kept me easily engaged, and some of his conclusions and explanations served as mind candy. It's easy to see why this book was a #1 national bestseller, and I would recommend it, I'm just not quite sure to whom I'd recommend it. It has helped me to see the world of fads, trends and social thinking in a different way. I wonder how that will translate to my world of Christian ministry?

In the end, if you've read any Gladwell and know what to expect, The Tipping Point won't let you down. If you haven't yet read him, this is as good as any of his books to start with. Though, personally, I think I like Blink a little better.