A few years ago I enjoyed Gladwell’s first offering, Tipping Point. I’ve also spent a considerable amount of time standing in bookstores reading selected portions of his third book, Outliers. But although I knew the thesis of Blink and although it has been sitting on my home bookshelf for maybe a year or so, it took me awhile to get around to picking it up and having a go at it. Delay no more. I picked it up yesterday and finished it today. I’m not surprised I read it this quickly. Gladwell is a captivating writer, seeming to be able to mine some of the greatest stories that advance the theory underlying his book. Blink fits the pattern of his first and third books: Start with a breakthrough idea (at least to the general population) and gather interesting anecdotal evidence to support the idea. The reader feels like he’s learning a secret that will impact his life in a positive way, while enjoying the story-telling to boot. Regardless of how earth-shattering these breakthrough insights may be, it’s definitely been a winning formula for Gladwell. The thesis of this book is that our immediate subconscious response to a thing, person, or event, is far more powerful than we ever imagined . ****4 stars.
